Two school pupils expressed 'genuine remorse and upset' after causing damage to a war memorial.

Fabricated from sheet metal, the statue of the Unknown Soldier was created in Allithwaite Community Orchard in September 2024 after being commissioned by Allithwaite and Cartmel Parish Council.

The same month a woman reported to a member of the Parish Council that she saw two children damaging the statue from the opposite side of Church Road.

A separate member of the public then contacted the media about the incident.

The children were reported to be wearing the Allithwaite Primary School School uniform.

The statue depicts a soldier standing at ease with his rifle complete with a bayonet attached to his side.

The bayonet had been broken off and disposed of in the adjacent allotments where it was subsequently recovered.

Later the same day, the Parish Councillor reported the incident to the school.

Gillian Elliott, headteacher of Allithwaite Primary School, initiated an investigation and on September 25 identified and interviewed the children who, she said, volunteered remorseful admissions and spontaneously apologised for their actions.

Mrs Elliott issued a full report of her findings to the Parish Councillor on October 3. 

She said: "Firstly, I’d like to pass on my sincere apologies to the local community for this unfortunate incident although the incident happened after school hours, away from school premises and in the presence of several adults.

"The incident was reported to us by a Parish Councillor, with whom we have worked to investigate the incident, and to whom we have reported our findings.

"Thankfully, incidents such as this are incredibly rare, and the young people involved have shown genuine remorse and upset for the damage caused.

"Following our thorough investigation, I am confident the young people were not aware of the purpose or significance of the statue and that they acted out of curiosity and did not intend to cause damage.

"Unfortunately, their attempt to fix accidental damage, inadvertently caused additional damage.

"Ultimately, children will make mistakes as they learn and I’m certain the young people involved have learned a valuable lesson here.

"Additionally, owning up to wrong-doing is never an easy thing to do and I strongly believe that in doing so the pupils have shown themselves to be honest, responsible and remorseful. I am proud to say they are pupils of Allithwaite School."